September 2011 Balletco Magazine

Granted, the ballet’s chained to the boat-anchor of McCartney’s cartoonish plot, that, if more fully realized, might aspire to preciosity, but there are lots of ballets with silly plots, and an important, if unglamorous, part of the art of being a choreographer is knowing how to take the banal and make it appear, if not necessarily the stuff of genius, at least, well, less banal. With an almost aggressive lack of imagination, Martins couches this slight story in even slighter dance

The title sounded reassuringly expensive, according to Lincoln Kirstein. In 1967, he and Balanchine were hoping to attract sponsors and audiences to the relatively new State Theatre at Lincoln Centre, so they needed an opulent production. Karinska’s costumes, encrusted with costume jewellery, were regarded at the time as marvels of sophisticated couture…

While Edgar Degas’ works on the nineteenth century ballet world are revealing and fascinating documents for the dance historian, balletomane and general public, he did not glamorize the art but skilfully showed the hard work involved by the ballerinas to capture those magical moments on stage. This exhibition offers a truly satisfying and intimate glimpse into their extraordinary and dedicated lives.

10 pictures of a happy night… The Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order granted in recognition of services that benefit the country. The King of Spain (currently Juan Carlos I) is Grand Master of the Order.

I’ve offended people, created problems and most likely lost a few jobs too because what I’ve said in the public, but I’ve just so had it with the political correctness rubbish and I have massive problems with keeping my gob shut when things are going up shit creek.

…it’s been an inauspicious start to the season – injuries and a washout. But rest assured, when the season does get out of the blocks, you’ll be in for an eclectic mix of physically exhausting ballets; harder than complete box -set of ‘Zumba’ workouts…

…their newest work, Seven for a Secret Never to be Told, is promoted as a collaboration between dance and neuroscience—a forced association that fails to add interest to a pleasant but unsatisfying work.

2,600 people through the door at the Gala performances, 200 volunteers from the local community and around the country helping with all aspects of the production plus a Creative Dance Workshop for 100 young dancers from Suffolk. £50,000 raised for The Hunger Project and one very happy Gary Avis.

What really surprised me was how affecting her mad scene is. She plays Giselle in the first act as a very simple, unsophisticated and trusting girl, and when she discovers Albrecht’s duplicity it’s as if her whole world has shatterd and her mind simply can’t cope. It’s a plain, unornamented reading and I found it really quite moving.

The imbalances of the early iterations of Havana Rakatan have been very effectively addressed in this newest production which is even zestier and more joyful than I recall. It is a show that is sure to raise the spirits…

For all sorts of reasons there is no way that, even with the most advanced and immersive 3D technology, film can replace live theatre or dance. However things have advanced to the point where we can expect that many more dance recordings will be released on 3D as well as on Blu-ray and ordinary dvd media.

The over-arching tone at gloATL’s signature outdoor public dance events has typically been invitational, communal, gentle, and celebratory. It was surprising then to find the group so capable of exploring the fiercely individualistic, mysterious world of Saariaho’s “Maa.”

Sleeping Beauty is going to get a lot less sleep in 2012. In fact her life-span on stage is going to be cut from the usual three hours to approximately ninety minutes. But there is a very good reason—it is to introduce young children from the age of three upwards to ballet performances in a time framework that will hold and keep their attention.

John Neumeier is creating a ballet called Dialogue for Diana Vishneva. The Artistic Director of The Hamburg Ballet and the Russian prima ballerina have known each other for a long time, now Neumeier is choreographing for her for the first time

Following an extensive search, Elmhurst School for Dance, in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet, is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Parker to the role of Artistic Director, effective from September 2012.

Dance Umbrella 2011, London’s annual festival of dance from around the globe once again presents and celebrates new and seminal danceworks, blending renowned festival favourites with new faces and new dance spaces.